State Dept affirms Israel's right to target Hezbollah in Lebanon, urges civilian protection

By Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel has a right to target Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah even as it may be hiding in civilian buildings in Lebanon, but should do so in a way that protects civilians, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.

Asked at a regular press briefing about an Israeli airstrike that destroyed the municipal headquarters in the southern Lebanon town of Nabatieh that killed 16 people including the mayor, Miller said he could not comment on the specific strike, but "we don't want to see civilian buildings destroyed."

"We understand that Hezbollah does operate at times from underneath civilian homes, inside civilian homes. We've seen footage that has emerged over the course of the past two weeks of rockets and other military weapons held in civilian homes," he said.

"Israel does have a right to go after those legitimate targets, but they need to do so in a way that protects civilian infrastructure, protects civilians," he said.

Washington supports limited incursions by Israel to attack and degrade Hezbollah, but the U.S. opposes a broad bombing campaign on Beirut and attacks that don't avoid civilian harm, Miller said.

Lebanese officials denounced Wednesday's attack, which also wounded more than 50 people in Nabatieh, a provincial capital, saying it was proof that Israel's campaign against the Hezbollah armed group was now shifting to target the Lebanese state.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the strike hit civilians meeting to coordinate relief efforts.

Miller said if Israel intentionally targeted such a meeting that would be "unacceptable," but said the circumstances would need to be verified.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, on a visit to northern Israel near the border, said Israel would not halt its assault on Hezbollah to allow negotiations.

"Hezbollah is in great distress," he said according to a statement from his office. "We will hold negotiations only under fire. I said this on day one, I said it in Gaza, and I am saying it here."

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Kanishka Singh, Humerya Pamuk and Simon Lewis; editing by Diane Craft)